Control cable assembly



Sept. 14, 1965 w. J. GILMORE CONTROL CABLE ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 27, 1965 &

INVENTOR. WILLIAM J. GILMORE .wV/J my ON I m ATTORNEYS P 4, 1965 w. J. GILMORE 3,205,654

CONTROL CABLE ASSEMBLY Filed March 27, 1963 .2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. WILLIAM J. GILMORE FIG. 5

ATTORNE YS United States Patent 3,205,654 CONTROL CABLE ASSEMBLY William J. Gilmore, Manitou Beach, Mich, assignor to American Chain & Cable (10., Inc., New York, N.Y. Filed Mar. 27, 1963, Ser. No. 268,341 1 Claim. (Cl. 60-26.1)

This invention relates to control cable assemblies comprising an outer tubular casing and an inner core element adapted to transmit energy mechanically between spaced actuating and responding stations. More particularly, the invention relates to a control cable assembly where the core element at the actuating or operators end is fixed and the casing is forcibly displaced over it to accomplish work at the remote responding station. Though the usual function of a flexible control cable is effected by a push or a pull applied to an inner slidable core element at the actuating end of the assembly, it is entirely feasible to operate a control cable in the reverse manner by pushing or pulling on the casing instead. The present invention is directed to just such a reverse mode of operation. At the actuating end of the assembly the core element is held fixed and the operating force is applied to the casing to slide it over the core element. If this force is a push and if the opposite end of the casing is held fixed, the result at that opposite end or responding station will be a forcible retraction of the core element into the casing. Thus, an applied push produces a resulting pull. On the other hand, if the core element at the opposite responding end is held fixed, then an applied push on the casing produces a resulting push.

Broadly stated, the new control cable assembly for mechanically transmitting energy between spaced actuating and responding stations comprises a frame at the actuating station. A flexible tubular casing is longitudinally slidable at one end on the frame at the actuating station and extends .to the responding station. A flexible core element extends through and is longitudinally displaceable within the casing and is afiixed at one end to the frame atthe actuating station. Operating means are provided at the actuating station for sliding the casing over the core element.

One very important use for this new control cable assembly is in combination with a cartridge-firing device wherein the casing is rapidly pushed along the core element toward the actuating station by means of an explosive force. When the expanding gases of the detonated cartridge are to exert the actuating pushing force in this manner, it is far more advantageous to apply it to the casing and to hold the core element fast as described herein rather than to apply it to the core element and hold the casing fast in the ordinary manner. The end portion of the casing surrounds the core element and can withstand severe compression without buckling whereas the end portion of the core element is unsupported by the casing and has very little column strength. Furthermore, the casing end portion is structurally more adaptable to displacement within the barrel of a firing device than is the end portion of a core element.

A control cable assembly of the type which mechanically transmits explosive energy is particularly useful where the work at the responding station remote from the operator must be accomplished quite rapidly. For example, in pilot ejection seats for aircraft the seat belt latch must be uncoupled instantly during operation, and this is best done by a cartridge-actuated control cable. Also, the remote firing of recoilless weapons by means of a primary eartridge-detonating device can advantageously be done by using the explosively actuated control cable of the invention to detonate the primary cartridge.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are described Patented Sept. 14, 1965 hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein FIG. 1 is a fragmentary elevation partly in section andbroken away of one embodiment of the new control cable assembly prior to operation;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the assembly after it has been operated;

, FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged section taken along the line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary elevation partly in section and broken away of another embodiment of the new control cable assembly prior to operation;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 showing the assembly after it has been operated;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged section taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 5; and 7 FIG. 8 is an enlarged section taken along the line 88 of FIG. 6.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 to 4, a frame 10 is located at an actuating station where the operator is to apply a force to the control cable assembly. Rigidly aflixed to the frame 10 is a firing device comprising a block 11 defining a chamber 12 for receiving a blank cartridge 13. Suitable means including a firing pin 17 are provided for selectively detonating the cartridge 13. When the cartridge 13 is fired, the explosive force of its expanding gas thrusts forwardly into an inner portion 14 of a barrel 15. A controlled amount of the expanding gases may escape through a vent 16 in the block 11, but the greater part of the explosive force from the detonated cartridge is directed forwardly through an apertured anchorage element 19 shown most clearly in FIG. 4. The anchorage element 19 is circumferentially crimped axially within the barrel 15 so that it is rigidly afiixed with respect to the barrel and .to the frame 10. A plurality of apertures 20 are formed in the anchorage element -19 so that the explosive force from the cartridge 13 may pass therethrough toward the open end of the barrel 15. Projecting axially from the anchorage element 19 is a rigidly secured ferrule 21 which points toward the open end of the barrel.

A flexible tubular control cable casing 23 extends from within the open end of the barrel 15 at the actuating station to a remote responding station spaced therefrom. The end of the casing 23 within the barrel 15 has attached thereto an annular piston 24 which is in substantially sealed longitudinally slidable engagement with the barrel'15. A flexible core element 25 extends through and is longitudinally dis-placeable within the casing 23 and projects through the piston 24 in substantially sealed engagement therewith. The end of the core element 25 extending through the piston 24 is fitted within and attached securely to the ferrule 21 which in turn is afiixed to the anchorage element v19. Consequently, the casing 23 can slide longitudinally with respect to the barrel 15 at the actuating station.

At the responding station, a supporting bracket 27 is affixed to a frame 28' by means of screws 29, and this frame 28 may be part of the frame 10. In many other instances, of course, the frame 10 and 28' may move relative to one another. The end of the casing 23 at the responding station is aflixed to an annular end fitting 28 which is circumferentially crinrped to the supporting bracket 27. Also at the responding station, the end of the core element 25 is fastened .to a bolt 29 having a rounded nose 30 which is slidable within a bore 31 formed in the bracket 27. The bore 31 intersects a transverse slot 32 which is adapted to receive an eye fitting 33 on the end of a cable 34. The bolt 29 and eye fitting 33 may be the 3 locking device of safety belt on an aircraft pilot ejection seat.

In the operation of the control cable assembly shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the apparatus is initially in the condition illustrated in FIG. 1 when it is desired rapidly to release the eye fitting 33 and cable 34 from the bolt 29 at the responding station. The firing pin 17 is operated so as to move it to the right as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to strike the end of the cartridge 13 at the actuating station. This detonates the cartridge and releases its explosive force into the barrel portion 14, from which a controlled amount of the expanding gases are passed out through the vent 16. The greater portion of the explosive force is directed through the apertures 20 in the anchorage fitting 19 to urge the piston 24 to the right as shown in FIG. 2. Since the core element 25 is affixed relative to the frame 10 at the actuating station, this rightward displacement of the piston 24 slides .the casing 23 over the core element 25. At the remotely spaced responding station, the casing 23 cannot move with respect to the bracket 27 and consequently the reaction force retracts the core element 25 suddenly into the end fitting 28 on the casing 23. This pulls the bolt 29 to the left as shown in FIG. 2 and releases the eye fitting 33. The eye fitting 33 and its cable 34 thereby come free of the bolt 29 and bracket 27 as shown in FIG. 3, and the safety belt of the seat is fully uncoupled. It is characteristic of this embodiment of the invention that the explosive push on the-casing 23 at the actuating station produces a sudden pull on the core element 25 at the responding station.

Turning now to the embodiment of FIGS. 8, a form of the control cable assembly is shown which is designed to detonate a primary cartridge commonly used tofire a recoilless weapon. Since the parts of this embodiment at the actuating station are identical in construction and operation to those in the previous embodiment, the various like parts have been given the same reference numerals.

This embodiment differs at the responding station, where the casing 23 is concentrically afiixed to an annular slide 40 which is axially displaceable within a tubular portion 41 of a bracket 42. The core element 25 extends slidably through the annular slide 40 into fixed engagement with a ferrule 43 attached axially to a disc 44 which is crimped concentrically within the tubular portion 41. By this construction, the core element 25 is anchored and the casing 23 is longitudinally slidable at the responding station, which is just the opposite of the arrangement in the previous embodiment.

An annular fastener 46 mounted on the slide 40 grasps a partial loop 47 of a rod or firing pin 48 within the tubular element 41. The firing pin 48 extends in close sliding engagement through a hole 49 in the disc 44 toward the base of the bore of the tubular element 41. A chamher 50 in the bracket 42 is adapted to receive a primary blank cartridge 51 which is arranged to direct its explosive force outwardly through a bore 52. In the operation of the recoilless weapon, detonation of the primary cartridge in turn fires the projectile of the weapon. Again, the bracket 42 is rigidly secured to a frame 53 which is stationary with respect to the frame 10 at the actuating station, though in many instances the frames 10 and 53 may be movable relative to one another.

In the operation of this form of the control cable assembly, the firing pin 17 is moved to the right as shown in the drawing to detonate the cartridge 13. The explosive force is partly released through the vent 16 but its primary elfect is transmitted through the anchorage element 19 to the slidable piston 24 within the barrel 15. As in the previous embodiment, this causes the piston 24 to move suddenly to the right as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 and thus forcibly slides the casing 23 over the core element 25. At the responding station, the casing 23 is free to urge the slide 40 to the right as shown in FIG. 6 within the tubular portion 41. This motion directs the firing pin 48 through the hole 49 in the disc 44 and causes its outer end to strike and, detonate the cartridge 51. This in turn fires the recoilless weapon.

I claim:

In a control cable assembly including a flexible core element extending through and longitudinally displaceable with respect to a flexible casing, actuating means for restraining one end of the core element and rapidly pushing forward the associated end of the casing comprising (a) a block defining an explosive-receiving chamber and an open ended barrel extending therefrom,

(b) selectively operable detonating means extending into said chamber,

(0) an annular piston concentrically attached to said end of the casing and longitudinally slidable within the barrel about the associated end of the core element in substantially sealed engagement therewith, and

(d) an anchorage element securing said end of the core element to the block between the chamberand piston and defining aperture means for transmitting the effect of an explosion in the chamber to the piston in the barrel to push the casing forwardly over the core element.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 975,601 11/10 Becker 74--501 X 2,480,083 8/49 McMillan 74-471 2,505,869 5/50 Quilter.

FRED E. ENGELTHALER, Primary Examiner. JULIUS E. WEST, Examiner. 

